Album Review: Wire – Red Barked Tree (Pink Flag)

Despite influencing everything from US hardcore to electroclash and Britpop magpie [b]Damon Albarn[/b] since forming in 1976, [a]Wire[/a] have bizarrely remained a cult concern. This ought to change with the release of their 12th record, 11 clever tracks of unrelenting and witty pop. Wire have always had a knack for the accessible and melodic, but it comes with a twist. ‘[b]Adapt[/b]’ is almost wistful and ‘[b]Bad Worn Thing[/b]’ swings, but it’s when both Colin Newman and the guitars go into full-on sneer, such as on the aptly named ‘[b]Two Minutes[/b]’, the brilliant mire of ‘[b]Clay[/b]’, the snide jollity of ‘[b]Smash[/b]’, or gruff distortion in ‘[b]Moreover[/b]’, that ‘[b]Red Barked Tree[/b]’ bears the ripest fruit.